Richard's Story
After cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure landed 66-year-old Richard Hempfling in UPMC Passavant Hospital, a subsequent bone marrow biopsy returned an unwelcome diagnosis—Richard had a form of blood cancer that stopped his red blood cells from fully maturing. Though he was discharged, Richard quickly found himself in the ICU at Butler Memorial Hospital unable to catch his breath and quickly losing functional mobility.
A retired steamfitter and grandfather of four, Richard was intubated and placed on a mechanical ventilator to ensure his body received the oxygen it needed. To provide nutrition, a feeding tube was surgically inserted through the wall of his abdomen and into his stomach. After three weeks of ventilator dependency, Richard’s doctors made the decision to place a tracheotomy, which would serve as a less intrusive breathing solution than having a tube fed through his mouth to the trachea.
Three weeks later, Richard was stable but unable to liberate from the ventilator. At the recommendation of the Butler Memorial Hospital staff, Richard’s family decided to transfer him to Select Specialty Hospital – Alle Kiski for continued critical care.
On admission, Richard was too weak to stand on his own, had problems finding his balance and was still relying on a ventilator to breathe. “My number one goal was to return home to a normal life with my family,” he said. To help him achieve that goal, the interdisciplinary team at Select Specialty Hospital developed a personalized treatment plan that included respiratory, physical, occupational and speech therapy.
Posture can play a significant role in certain types of recovery. With that in mind, Richard’s nurses and therapists made sure he was sitting upright at least twice a day for as long as possible. In this position, it was easier for his diaphragm to function naturally as he breathed. The daily work of staying upright strengthened Richard’s core muscles and endurance. Nursing staff kept a careful watch on Richard’s oxygen levels and other vitals as he healed—especially his heart rate, which spiked during physical therapy.
Post-ICU care at Select Specialty Hospital is delivered by each clinical discipline working together to return a patient’s functional abilities, such as breathing, moving, thinking and eating. To this end, every therapy benefits the other. Beginning with respiratory therapy, Richard’s therapist ensured optimal ventilator settings were keeping his oxygen levels in the proper range. Each day, the respiratory therapist would engage Richard in spontaneous breathing trials, reducing the support he received from the machine while monitoring his oxygen levels as he breathed on his own. After seven days of steadily decreasing support, Richard was capable of breathing without the ventilator and his tracheostomy tube was removed.
As his ability to breathe independently increased, it gave Richard more energy to participate in physical therapy. By sitting on the edge of his bed and engaging in his therapist’s exercises, such as leg lifts, seated marching and lifting light weights, Richard was able to begin returning strength and stability to his body. Within days, Richard was able to stand and pivot to a nearby chair followed by taking steps with a wheeled walker. He would go on to walk a total of 400 feet on those days.
“When I was able to walk the hospital hallways and perform exercises, it really lifted my spirits,” Richard said.
Physical therapy returned strength to Richard’s muscles and improved his ability to breathe on his own, but he shared, “My key turning point was when I was able to resume eating after five weeks of not being able to,” said Richard. “My family was so excited for me. They had been there every day for me.”
After only 10 days at Select Specialty Hospital, Richard was ready to discharge home. Now capable of breathing on his own, eating a regular diet and walking with only a walker for support, Richard attributed his recovery to the staff’s “spirit of teamwork” and thanked everyone for being so nice and always answering his questions.
A retired steamfitter and grandfather of four, Richard was intubated and placed on a mechanical ventilator to ensure his body received the oxygen it needed. To provide nutrition, a feeding tube was surgically inserted through the wall of his abdomen and into his stomach. After three weeks of ventilator dependency, Richard’s doctors made the decision to place a tracheotomy, which would serve as a less intrusive breathing solution than having a tube fed through his mouth to the trachea.
Three weeks later, Richard was stable but unable to liberate from the ventilator. At the recommendation of the Butler Memorial Hospital staff, Richard’s family decided to transfer him to Select Specialty Hospital – Alle Kiski for continued critical care.
On admission, Richard was too weak to stand on his own, had problems finding his balance and was still relying on a ventilator to breathe. “My number one goal was to return home to a normal life with my family,” he said. To help him achieve that goal, the interdisciplinary team at Select Specialty Hospital developed a personalized treatment plan that included respiratory, physical, occupational and speech therapy.
Posture can play a significant role in certain types of recovery. With that in mind, Richard’s nurses and therapists made sure he was sitting upright at least twice a day for as long as possible. In this position, it was easier for his diaphragm to function naturally as he breathed. The daily work of staying upright strengthened Richard’s core muscles and endurance. Nursing staff kept a careful watch on Richard’s oxygen levels and other vitals as he healed—especially his heart rate, which spiked during physical therapy.
Post-ICU care at Select Specialty Hospital is delivered by each clinical discipline working together to return a patient’s functional abilities, such as breathing, moving, thinking and eating. To this end, every therapy benefits the other. Beginning with respiratory therapy, Richard’s therapist ensured optimal ventilator settings were keeping his oxygen levels in the proper range. Each day, the respiratory therapist would engage Richard in spontaneous breathing trials, reducing the support he received from the machine while monitoring his oxygen levels as he breathed on his own. After seven days of steadily decreasing support, Richard was capable of breathing without the ventilator and his tracheostomy tube was removed.
As his ability to breathe independently increased, it gave Richard more energy to participate in physical therapy. By sitting on the edge of his bed and engaging in his therapist’s exercises, such as leg lifts, seated marching and lifting light weights, Richard was able to begin returning strength and stability to his body. Within days, Richard was able to stand and pivot to a nearby chair followed by taking steps with a wheeled walker. He would go on to walk a total of 400 feet on those days.
“When I was able to walk the hospital hallways and perform exercises, it really lifted my spirits,” Richard said.
Physical therapy returned strength to Richard’s muscles and improved his ability to breathe on his own, but he shared, “My key turning point was when I was able to resume eating after five weeks of not being able to,” said Richard. “My family was so excited for me. They had been there every day for me.”
After only 10 days at Select Specialty Hospital, Richard was ready to discharge home. Now capable of breathing on his own, eating a regular diet and walking with only a walker for support, Richard attributed his recovery to the staff’s “spirit of teamwork” and thanked everyone for being so nice and always answering his questions.